In the shadow of men: these 10 things women invented

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In the shadow of the men
These 11 inventions were made by women

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Melanie Wenzke author picture

by Melanie Wenzke

History tries to convince us that men were the geniuses who made the important inventions. Although women used to have poorer access to education, these women prove the opposite.

History books are sexist – men’s successes have been and still are praised, while women’s inventions are deliberately kept in the background. It is not uncommon for a man to receive sole recognition for a woman’s scientific work. The discrimination and denial of female success in research is “Matilda effectThis term was coined by the suffragette Matilda Joslyn Gage, who was the first to describe the phenomenon.

It was tough and it still is

It is no secret that the quota of women in science subjects was negligible at the time. The reason is patriarchal social principles that have worked out as structural sexism. It starts with a lack of access to education: the focus on home economics and the ban on studying made it difficult for women in science. It was tough and it still is.

That’s why we want to celebrate the heroines of history – for these great inventions:

These 11 things were invented by women


Men who are geniuses: Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson became the first black woman to earn a PhD from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT) in 1973. Their research is the basis of many inventions in the field of telecommunications: mobile fax, caller ID, fiber optics or solar cell technology. She holds honorary doctorates in over 53 universities. In this photo from 2016, she is presented with the National Medal of Science from Barack Obama. The two had known each other before, as Jackson was a member of the President’s Advisory Staff on Intelligence Affairs from 2014 to 2017.

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How do you prevent the “Matilda effect”?

One could assume that a lot has changed in the last 100 years. But that does not apply to the gender distribution at the Nobel Prize: only five percent of the science prizes in medicine, physics and chemistry go to women. Do women really invent less? We will only find out the answer in 50 years, when the archives release the files. The first step in improving the current inequality of opportunity would be to provide more transparent insight into the selection processes of the award committees. Because only the archive of the Nobel Foundation provides information about the decision-making processes. Only then can you understand whether the “Matilda effect“has struck again and women are only subsequently honored for their achievements.

Brigitte

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